Phiaton PS 500 Primal Series Headphones Sweepstakes

Register to win one of eight pairs of Phiaton PS 500 Primal Series Headphones (MSRP $299) Stereophile is giving away.

According to Phiaton, The PS 500 Primal Series headphones offer listeners "a soaring level of concert-hall sound quality, unmatched performance, and a high level of comfort. Phiaton Primal Series headphones are designed for those who appreciate the classic yet somewhat exotic look and feel of supple leather and leather-grade trim."

Keeping with this philosophy, the PS 500s feature hand-made, genuine leather outer cup housings and extra-plush ear cushions for comfort and a snug fit. These headphone also feature Phiaton’s 40mm Titanium Driver technology. "This combination of sound isolation and audiophile-grade music reproduction is ideal for listening to any type of music, from classical and jazz to hip-hop, rock and pop." Click here for more info.

To enter the sweepstakes, all you need is an account on Stereophile.com. If you don't already have one, click on the link labeled "register" at the bottom of this announcement or "Create new account" in the right column. Then, enter a username and a valid e-mail address, and click on the "Create new account" button. A message will be automatically sent to the e-mail address you specified, which will include a link to activate the account.

The final step (and only step for those who already have an account) is to log in and leave a comment right here on this announcementany comment will do, as long as it's not profane or spam. Then, after the sweepstakes closes March 1, 2011, eight lucky commenters will be chosen at random to receive the prizes. So post a comment, and good luck!

About five years ago, I had to sell my Michele turntable, with the Oyster mm cartridge, my Carver amp., acr 32 Musical Fidelity pre-amp, Musical fidelity DAC, B&W Matrix 804's McIntosh sub, MIT interconnects et al. The only replacement I now have is discs stored on my MAC computer. I need the headphones, not winning is not an option.(the only other thing that I ever won was a cheap ring from a Crackerbax Jock, but Melanie Haber got that...or was it Betty Jo Bioloskie...Susan Under hill, we used to call her NANCY!!!)

These are exactly what I'm looking for to give my 4 yr old budding audiophile! This kid is already a big fan of the Beatles, Miles Davis, Broken Bells, The Drive-By Truckers & Yo Gabba Gabba! And he's a vinyl lover to boot! He wants to listen to records all the time. He'd love a pair of headphones like this to continue his audiophile education!

I admit I never heard of that manufacturer/brand before, I can just hope that these headphones do live up to their promises, because I've been disappointed by so many other headphone models in the past.

The looks of the headphones are better than on the picture above, the cup housing is covered with (real?) leather, the overall built quality also seems much better than in the foto above.

I own a pair of these headphones. Needless to say, the comments below are my opinions only, and should be taken as such.
Sensitivity: very sensitive, easily driven by any device.
Sound: “bloated” bass with not much “weight”. The tonal balance seems to be on the bright side with the high and mid bass overpowering the midrange. Very "colored" and "boomy".
Comfort: very comfortable. They are smaller than they appear on the picture though.
Perceived build quality: consistent with the expectation in this price range.
Perceived value: very low. There are far better phones in this price range.
Overall impression: disappointment.
Best use: with a musical instrument, such as a digital piano, there a tonal “neutrality” may not be as important as a long-term wearing comfort and good sensitivity.

Greetings youngsters, I'll be 72 in June, but still enjoy great music (not rap crap) and would love to win a set of your wonderful headphones.
Can't wait to listen to Sam Cooke on a set.
Have a great life and enjoy each day.
Wayne Blankenship